I write this today with a heavy heart, a heart filled with sadness and loneliness. Without doubt, I have good hopes for 2018 but all I have for now are hopes. Same hopes I had at the eve of 2017. Same hopes that all got dashed as 2017 happened to be my worst year ever. A year filled with losses. (You can get the details of my 2017 here).

Above all, I am grateful to God for the gift of life. As the popular saying goes, ‘’where there is life, there is hope’’.

As I write this, I know I may not get to win this contest(SAD) or even be among the worthy mentions, probably because I wouldn’t be having fun pictures to share and no overly exciting moments to share with my fellow steemians but I will still put this down because people out there need to know that it’s not always rosy for everybody, we still have some people who still feel sad on a day like this.

Many people might feign a life they are not accustomed to just for the purpose of this post or try to make you feel it’s all fun for them, but I am going to be as real as possible here.

I will start by telling you what life used to be for me every new year eve before the sad year (2017).

On the 22nd day of December of every year, it’s always a custom for us (I, my siblings and parents) to travel down to our home tome to spend the Christmas and new year celebration with friends and extended family. It’s always usually fun with lots of gifts to be shared and fan fair. We would cut the new year cake and have a toast to the good and healthy life.

I can’t be seen in this picture because I was the one who took the snapshot.

Many families in Nigeria often go to the church for the cross over night service which holds from 10:00pm to 12:00am, but we don’t. we often hold the cross over night prayer in our house and from 11:00pm to 12:00am, after which we all go out for the fireworks. It’s always fun and it’s a period of the year we always look out for, after all, what could be better and more exciting than starting the new year with family.

Fast forward to 2017 New Year Eve.

A lot has changed in one year, I am now a man of my own as I have left my parent’s house to start a life of my own, coupled with the new job I got recently.

The New Year Eve wasn’t fun at all for me. I was basically at home all through the day with my new and favourite companion (STEEMIT). Practically slept on my bed till 2018 (LAUGHS). You might wana know why it was that way for me…I will tell you.

I currently stay in one of the western states in Nigeria (OGUN STATE), and my parents stay in the Federal Capital Territory (ABUJA). They made plans to travel to our home town as usual on the 22nd of December and they did. Due to restrictions from my new place of work, I wasn’t given permission to travel until the 29th of December. I made plans to travel on the said date but a very serious fuel scarcity erupted in Nigerian and transportation fair was hiked. This hindered a lot of persons who dint travel earlier than 25th of December from travelling and obviously I was affected. Didn’t have enough cash on me to make the journey with the increase in the cost of transportation, so I stayed back. All my friends and close pals had gone to celebrate the Christmas and New year with their family and I was left all alone.

This picture was taken by my neighbour who is resident here in Ogun State.

The 31st of December 2017 was just a regular day for me as I got to eat just twice that day. Had beverage with bread in the morning and noodles at night.

It’s a New Year and hopefully my New Year Eve won’t be as boring as it was last year but like I said earlier…All I have are hopes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

To join this amazing contest by @anomadsoul, click HERE